“Džaja” Film to Open the Sports Film Festival
The 6th International Sports Film Festival, unique in the Balkans and dedicated to promoting sport, healthy lifestyles, as well as sports and recreational tourism on Zlatibor, will take place on the mountain from June 29 to July 3.
The Festival was founded by the Municipality of Čajetina, the Tourist Organization Zlatibor, the film production company Maja Film, and the International Sports Film Festival Zlatibor Association. Awards will be presented to the best films, along with Lifetime Achievement Awards honoring distinguished athletes. This year’s guest city is Tuzla, which will be ներկայացed through a film about its most successful athletes.
Following the official opening ceremony tonight at 7 PM, Lifetime Achievement Awards will be presented to renowned footballer Dragan Džajić, water polo player Aleksandar Šoštar, Veselin Jevrosimović, President of the Athletics Federation of Serbia, and film director Zdravko Šotra, whose films “More Than a Game” and “Santa Maria della Salute” will be screened. The same recognition will also be awarded posthumously to legendary basketball player Mirza Delibašić.
“We are greatly honored to welcome Dragan Džajić as our guest, and that the film about his life and achievements, titled ‘Džaja’, produced by Al Jazeera Balkans and authored by Sarajevo-based sports journalist Sabahudin Topalbećirević, will open this year’s festival program,” announced Festival Director Mihailo Todorović. He added that the Festival will host a large number of athletes, actors, and other guests, and that in addition to documentaries, four feature films will also be screened in evening slots. All screenings will be free of charge.
“We will also present the film ‘Four Friends’ by Stojan Steve Tesich, an Academy Award-winning writer originally from Užice who built his career in the United States. The film, which also explores sports themes, has been screened only once in Serbia—at FEST in 1982,” Todorović explained.
Artistic Director Jovan Marković stated that around thirty films from fifteen countries were selected from a pool of 150 submissions from across the world. He added that the Zlatibor Festival has this year been featured in the most prominent international sports film festival catalogues.
“Our goal was to ensure diversity—both in terms of participating countries and the range of sports and sporting events represented, as well as to address various issues related to sport,” Marković noted, adding that screenings will begin daily at 5 PM.
Recalling that the Municipality of Čajetina has supported the Festival financially since its inception, Deputy Mayor Arsen Đurić emphasized that significant funds have once again been allocated this year for numerous and diverse cultural programs, particularly those held during the summer tourist season.
“We did not choose Zlatibor by chance when we established the Festival six years ago, as it is a mountain with great potential for sports tourism. For example, around one hundred sports teams from Serbia, Europe, and beyond prepare annually on Zlatibor,” Đurić explained, adding that cultural events play a major role in strengthening Zlatibor’s reputation as a destination where visitors can fulfill not only recreational but also cultural interests.